


Nighttime Confabulation

by T_L



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: F/M, Sillyfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-14
Updated: 2006-02-14
Packaged: 2019-06-01 08:14:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15138923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_L/pseuds/T_L
Summary: Diana and John have a long talk. postTOAFT. For WonderC , JLAU Valentine’s Day Ficathon. slight BM/WW and HG/GL. Wrote this before seeing "Ancient History".





	Nighttime Confabulation

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at jlaunlimited.com

 

 **Summary:** Diana and John have a long talk. post-TOAFT. For WonderC, JLAU Valentine’s Day Ficathon. 

 **Disclaimer:** The Justice League and all related characters are property of DC Comics. This fiction was written purely for fun, no money is being made with this.

 

 

_Watchtower, 00:11_

 

A dark figure was moving through one of the Watchtowers many corridors so silently, one would have thought it was floating.

The lights were not lit, for this was the private area of the Watchtower an no one on today’s nightshift had permission to enter here.

But as the figure opened the heavy metal door to the large Javelin hangar, the dim emergency lights that were always on illuminated the scene and reflected off the golden tiara and “WW” breastplate.

Diana of Themyscira, known to the public as “Wonder Woman” stood in the doorway.

Lately, she’d often come here at night; she liked the peace and quiet of this place. And working on small damages that the five “Super”-Javelins (similar to the ‘normal’ Javelins, but a bit faster, more resistant and with more integrated technical gimmicks) parked here sometimes got in battles helped her think.

Diana had no technical expertise to speak of, but she was a fast learner, and one could tell just how fast it was by the amount of small Javelin problems that had been removed over night.

Yes, she had spent a lot of time thinking, but what else could she have done? She had so many questions and there was nobody who would answer them for her.

It had all started that day in the cafeteria, about two weeks ago.

She had joined Batman and Green Lantern at their table in the cafeteria and at first they had acted normal, well, normal for them.

But suddenly both men had looked like they had just awoken from some sort of dream and started whispering something she didn’t understand over the usual cafeteria noise.

Then Batman had asked her if she remembered going on a mission with them that day.

She had had no idea why he would ask a strange question like that, unless it was to test her sanity.

Why would she “remember” a mission that hadn’t – and could never have – taken place.

All she said, though, was that no, she didn’t.

But from that moment on, both men had acted differently.

The slight change in Batman’s behavior wasn’t nearly as obvious as John’s (that had been the topic of the League’s gossip for the last week), but she knew him well enough to notice the small signals, especially because the way he acted around her changed; he seemed somehow… indecisive, if that was possible.

If she had been unsure of their “relationship” before, she was completely at loss of what to think about it now.

So she spent night after sleepless night in the hangar, keeping her hands busy while trying to sort through her thoughts.

And here she was now, expecting another night filled with somber thoughts.  

She had stepped inside and was walking towards the Javelin she and John had damaged in a battle with Sinestro earlier when she noticed that she wasn’t alone.

John Stewart, the Green Lantern of sector 2853, earth, was kneeling in front of the Javelin in question on the dimly lit hangar bay and seemed to be absorbed in working on the plane.

 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, taken aback by finding someone else in the normally deserted hangar. “I didn’t mean to bother.”

She turned to leave.

 

 

John looked up, just noticing her presence. “It’s fine,” he said, “I’m not really doing anything important.”

He had, in fact, only been trying to look busy for the benefit of anyone who might enter, as not to have rumors spread about why a founding member would be sitting in the private Javelin hangar doing nothing, when all he wanted was to think in peace.

 

 

“I only came to see if I could do something about that Javelin we damaged.” Diana was glad that yesterday’s battle provided her with an excuse. She never lied, but that didn’t mean she always had to tell everyone the whole truth, and she _had_ come here to work on the jet.

 

 

“I forgot about that. Too used to Batman wrecking the Javelins.”

 

 

Diana’s response was rather vehement. “He only did it twice, and only to save our lives!”

 

 

John raised his hands defensively. “Easy, Diana. I don’t have anything against your batty boyfriend.” He smirked.

 

 

Diana missed the double meaning. “He’s not my boyfriend.” she automatically said defensively and blushed.

“Were you working on ‘our’ Javelin?” she quickly switched the topic.

 

 

“Not really,” the Green Lantern answered, looking somewhat guilty, “just thought I might check out all them and see how they were holding up. I mean, I doubt we’re the only ones in this tower to destroy part of a Javelin – considering out track record.”

 

 

“We do go through them quickly,” she noted, not without humor. “Well, since we’re both here, let’s do a check-over on ‘ours’. See how badly we damaged it.”

 

 

John couldn’t resist one last jab at his female companion.

“Sure, after all, it wouldn’t be fair to let your boyfriend handle all of this. Oh, sorry – I meant Batman.” He tried hard to look innocent, but failed horribly. “Have you checked it at all since we came back?”

 

 

Diana glared at him. “No, I was going to now. Help me and we’ll get done faster.”

 

 

 

GL wisely decided to stop smirking.

“Fine. I suppose it would take a while for just you to repair it – we really messed it up.” He grimaced.

 

 

Checking the wires for any damages that could cause a short circuit, they both worked in silence for a while, until Diana decided to break it.

 

“So, what’s troubling you?”

 

 

“Nothing” was the immediate reply.

 

The look Diana gave her friend was an answer itself.

 

 

John continued working for a few moments, then he looked up, sighing. “Am I really that obvious?”

 

 

‘Well, compared to Batman . . .’ she thought.

She smirked. “Yes.”

 

 

“Damn. I’m not that great at brooding privately, am I?”

 

 

“Something’s been not quite right with you for the last two weeks. Ever since that day you, Batman and I were in the cafeteria together. One minute you and Batman are talking, the next second you both act completely different and then go off to check something. I’m used to Batman behaving oddly, but you haven’t been the same since.” She paused.

“It has something to do with Shayera, doesn’t it?”

 

 

GL looked very uncomfortable.

“In a way . . . – Diana, do you ever think about the future ?”

 

 

“Sometimes. Who doesn’t? – Why?”

 

 

“Well, it’s just that . . . lately I’ve been wondering – if I continue dating Vixen, what will happen?” He decided to stop pretending now. “And… what would happen if Shayera and I reformed our relationship? In the future, would I regret making either decision? It’s just . . .” He looked over at Diana. “Working with my girlfriend is difficult. Both of us working with my ex is more difficult.”

 

 

“You have to clear things up matters and make a decision. I think you already know what you want, you’re just scared of the possible consequences.”

 

 

‘She’s been spending way too much time with Bruce,’ John thought.

“I sort of know what I want, I guess…”

He went back to being contemplative.

“I just think that if I choose a certain one, I could really get something wonderful out of it – um… that didn’t come out quite right… I guess that it’s easier to picture myself with one rather than the other, but it feels like things would be complicated even if I did make a choice.”

 

 

“It won’t be easy, but you have to face your responsibility! You can’t live like this forever, scared of the future. And you can’t win if you don’t take any risks.”

 

 

“I’m not exactly afraid of the future… I’m afraid of losing one in favor of another.”

 

 

“But you know what you want!” Diana exclaimed. Then, calmer, she said, “You wouldn’t be happy with the other future you’re scared of losing, the thought of what you might have had would always haunt you.”

 

 

“Well, ok, think of it this way, Diana: What if the future I want wasn’t exactly the happiest for everyone but, - oh, I don’t know, I had a kid in that future who I loved. And if I chose the other future, others would be happy most likely, but I wouldn’t have a son. That’s… that’s sort of the perspective I’m putting this all in.”

 

 

Diana contemplated this quietly for a bit.

When she finally spoke into the silence, her voice was somber. “This isn’t just a hypothesis. It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

 

 

John was looking really uncomfortable now, and when he answered he sounded defeated. “Well… yeah.”

 

 

“Tell me about it. I can only help you if I know the whole story.”

 

 

“Batman says you shouldn’t know too much about your own future.”

 

 

The heroine weighed her options before replying.

“You probably shouldn’t, but you know something, and so does he, and I can’t get rid of the feeling that there’s something I should know, too. I’ll risk it.”

 

 

‘Damn, do I really have to talk about this?’ John thought. ‘Well, it probably should be done at some point, she has a right to know, and I don’t see Batman playing confidant.’

“Diana, Batman and I had a run-in with someone called ‘Chronos’ that day. He was trying to steal Batman’s spare utility belt. The three of us – yeah, you were there, too, even if you don’t remember – we were transported to the old West and tried to make sure that he didn’t change history…” He went on and explained the whole story in detail to her.

 

 

The former marine spoke into the silence for nearly an hour.

When he had ended, Diana just sat there for a few minutes, thinking, trying to comprehend what she had just heard.

She decided to concentrate on the matter at hand now, setting back her private thoughts on this for later.

This was going to be one _long_ night.

 

 

“So you think if you choose Shayera, you will doom Bruce and everyone else to that future?”

 

 

If GL was surprised by this direct question, he didn’t show it. “Yeah, that’s basically it.”

 

 

“Then you have nothing to worry about.”

 

 

“Oh? And why’s that?” The Green Lantern was startled by this point of view, and a little angry that Diana was taking his problem so lightly.

 

 

“Well, you were in the timeline Chronos changed, weren’t you? And you say the League fell fighting villains who had been given special weapons by Chronos. I doubt your decision to be with Shayera was what made Chronos do that, or what made the League lose. And anyway, you locked Chronos up in that time-loop and made sure that what he did never happened and never will. So there should be no danger at all!”

 

 

“Well, yeah, that’s true…” John answered hesitantly, “but someone else could take that path and… and I am getting really paranoid about this, aren’t I? I suppose… I suppose I’m just looking for an excuse so I won’t end up facing Shayera or Vixen,” he chuckled a little, “because, believe it or not, they scare me a little.”

 

 

“They know you better than I do, and they know you’re going to decide sooner or later. And even if they push away the thought, they both know who you are going to choose.

I told you before – it’s your responsibility and you have to face it. If you find enough excuses, yes, you might be able to protract it, but you are only postponing the inevitable. And the sooner you do what you have to, the less unhappy you will make others and yourself.”

 

 

John sighed. “Everyone knows who I’m going to choose, don’t they? So is Mari going to kill me for breaking up with her, or is Shayera going to kill me for taking so long to figure all this out?”

 

 

“They both know it’s coming. I think you’ll be surprised at how easy everything is going to work out.”

 

 

“So in between stalking Batman and missions, you analyze my romantic relationships? Just how much thought have you put into this?”

 

 

“I don’t stalk- oh, never mind. Yes, I’ve been thinking about the future a lot, lately. Not yours, mine, but they’re connected a bit, and similar enough.”

 

 

“Why? Thinking about children or something?” He smirked for a second, but then stopped. “Oh, wait – can you even have a family? I mean, you were made out of clay, so, um…”

 

 

“I did think of children, too. Yes, I was crafted from clay, but the gods brought me to life, and with that they gave me a normal human body – well, almost normal. So technically, I could have children.” Diana smiled in a sad way.

 

 

“Hey, I’m sure Bruce will come around. To tell you the truth, after you disappeared in the future, he started to act more harshly. He was really upset.

 

 

“He’s not willing to give a relationship a chance. He’s used to pushing people away and not willing to take the risk of letting someone in.”

 

 

“Maybe…” the Green Lantern paused, trying to find the right words, “maybe that’s destiny, too. Maybe he’s destined to be alone.”

 

 

“I don’t believe in destiny. I believe that with every decision we make, we influence our future. If it wasn’t that way, Chronos couldn’t have unsettled the timeline. And you yourself already changed the future! You put Chronos in that time-loop, making it impossible for him to make a mess of the timeline, meaning you changed what was the future at that time. You made a decision that changed what was to come! How can you still think the future is set?”

 

 

“I… I guess I just never thought of it that way.” John looked a good deal happier. “But… if you don’t believe in destiny, how can you believe in ‘the one’?”

 

 

“I don’t believe in ‘the one’. I’m sure every person can find love, but I don’t think there are things like ‘soul mates’.”

 

 

“But didn’t you say it was inevitable that I chose Shayera?”

 

 

She smiled. “Yes, but that’s not because I think you’re destined to be together, that’s because I know you.”

 

 

“So I guess it’s back to the old-fashioned way of ‘do it yourself’, eh?”

 

 

“Looks like it.” She smiled again.

 

 

Silence followed, as both contemplated possibilities of the future.

 

 

Suddenly Diana, noticing the absurdity of the situation, spoke.

“Great Hera! We’ve been here almost all night and the javelin’s in no better shape than before!”

 

 

“Well, I’ll leave you to deal with Batman about that. I have monitor duty in a few hours and I don’t need a lecture about how to treat League equipment. I trust you’ll have fun.” With that, John got up and left, smirking slightly.

 

 

Diana remained sitting on the toolbox.

The conversation had, while answering most of her old questions, given her a thousand more to think about.

But they weren’t for tonight. All she would do tonight was go to bed and sleep, perhaps dreaming sweet dreams about a certain Dark Knight…

It had been nice, and relieving, in a way, to talk about all this for a change, Diana thought as she got up and made her way towards the exit.

‘Maybe we should do this more often.’

 

 

FINIS


End file.
